The environment in which network and telecommunications equipment or, more generally, electrical equipment, is often not conducive to the prolonged operation and life of the equipment. For example, the equipment may be subjected to adverse environmental factors throughout its lifetime. Such adverse environmental factors may include, but are not limited to including, temperature and humidity extremes, airborne particulates, chemical pollutants, and other contaminants.
Adverse environmental factors may lead to equipment performance degradation and a shortened useful life. Metallic corrosion, which is generally an electrochemical reaction that occurs when metals are exposed to electrolytes, may destroy metal over time. An electrolyte may be moisture, as well as other environmental elements. Metallic corrosion may occur in electrical equipment that includes a printed circuit board (PCB). In PCBs, metallic corrosion may cause the destruction of copper traces and, thus, cause degraded and unstable performance of the PCBs. Further, metallic corrosion may reduce the life expectancy of circuits included on the PCBs.